To me, all pumpkins are gourd-geous. Thankfully, my son feels the same way.
That’s why Boone, 7, and I hit the road last weekend, traveling hundreds of miles around northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to visit five pumpkin-picking places we had never been to before.
In choosing these destinations — each one a surprise for Boone — I kept in mind that families go to farms, patches, roadside stands, etc. for a variety of reasons during the fall. Maybe it’s to take the perfect photo for the holiday card that will be ordered, stamped then mailed in the coming weeks. Or, to meet loved ones for a cup of hot cider and snap something cute for Instagram while strolling through a corn maze. Maybe it’s just the best place to let children gorge themselves on apple cider or pumpkin doughnuts before running themselves silly — all so their parents can have a little quiet time in the car during the drive home.
[ My son and I went apple picking at 5 new-to-us places near Chicago. Here are our thoughts and tips. ]
Whatever the motive, squash tradition and vine-d yourself a new pumpkin-picking adventure. Here are our experiences and tips.
No matter where you live in the city or suburbs, your drive out to one of the area’s pumpkin patches will probably take at least around an hour. When Boone and I hit the road, we grab his backpack and stuff a water bottle, snacks, coloring books, markers and a Kindle downloaded with shows and movies inside. Thankfully, this brings fewer shouts of, “Are we there yet?” from the back seat.
Advertisement
Address: 1545 Main St., Mukwonago, Wisconsin (map)
Website: elegantfarmer.com
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through October (Autumn Harvest Fest); market is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily except Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Cost to pick pumpkins: $4-$12, depending on size. Pre-picked and u-pick pumpkins available. There is no admission fee, but the tractor-pulled hayride that stops at the pumpkin patch is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-11. Pony rides are $10 per person.
What to expect: Elegant Farmer is easily accessible by car — but why drive to a pumpkin patch when you can take a train?
The East Troy Railroad Museum, located just five miles south, offers seven rides to and from Elegant Farmer on Saturdays and Sundays. Round-trip tickets — $15 for adults and $9.50 for children (ages 3-14) — should be purchased in advance online since seats are limited.
During our 30-minute ride, a conductor told the history of the electric line and pointed out highlights along the tracks.
“The train we went on was really cool. Actually, it was a bit fast, but other than that, it was really cool,” Boone said. “It was an old-fashioned one from the 1980s.” (Brutal, I responded.)
Actually, the newest car in the museum’s restored fleet is from 1975. Most are from the 1920s — like the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad and the Evanston Line ‘L’ cars we hopped aboard.
Don’t eat before you get to the Elegant Farmer — the food options are plentiful. We split a personal-sized chicken pot pie and went to the caramel apple bar for dessert, though the Mukwonago destination is known for its apple pie baked in a paper bag.
Boone loved the warm caramel topping for his Gala apple, but chose not to top it with yellow and green sprinkles — Green Bay Packers colors.
Why? “Because I say, ‘Boo, Packers!’ ” was his answer.
Since the pumpkin patch is not visible from the store, we assumed there was not a U-pick option — but we were wrong. It was only revealed during the hayride through the apple orchard, corn field and laser tag area. Thankfully, the driver allowed us to hop off, snip a petite pumpkin off its vine and hop back on. If not for his kindness, we would have missed the last train of the day back to the railroad museum. Our two-hour exploration — from departure to return — was barely enough time to cram in these activities.
“I like taking the train there, but I did not like being late for it coming back,” Boone said.
Keep in mind: If you do take the train to the pumpkin patch, it might not be the best time to pick a giant one. Remember — you’ll have to carry it!
Highlight: Since we didn’t miss the train, it was time to celebrate — with a chocolate milkshake. Just across the tracks from the railroad museum is J. Lauber’s Ice Cream Parlor, which also serves sundaes and Green River floats.
I visited it decades ago on the one night our troop was allowed to leave the nearby Girl Scouts camp — everything was exactly as I remembered it, except now the jukebox is broken. It’s open through October, then will be closed until spring.
Advertisement
Address: 4853 Route 52, Minooka (map)
Website: heapsgiantpumpkinfarm.com
When: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 31 (closing at 2:30 p.m. on Halloween).
Cost to pick pumpkins: Price varies by size. Pre-picked and you-pick pumpkins available. Admission of $8-$10 (ages 3 and older) required to access U-pick pumpkins, but also includes mazes, activities and a hayride on weekends.
What to expect: Heap’s really does live up to its name — its pumpkins are giant and all are grown on site. The day after our visit, the family-owned farm hosted the Illinois Giant Pumpkin Grower’s Association annual weigh-off. (Joe Adkins, nicknamed the Pumpkin King of Illinois, won again with a 1,760-pounder.)
All of the activities at Heap’s rely on kid energy. Want to take a ride down the giant slide? Then run up the hill to get to it. Want to be the captain of the pirate-themed Milo’s Castle? Then climb the steps and walk the plank. Want to be the king of the spider web? Crawl to its center.
Boone accepted each of these challenges — and turned each into a race. I loved it, since most pumpkin farm activities are not designed for adults. The slide was our favorite.
“I think I went probably, like, 40 mph and probably like 500 feet. That sounds reasonable, right?” Sure, Boone.
The one item I couldn’t compete with was the corn bin, which was constructed from a series of water storage tanks connected by plastic tubes.
“I jumped into the corn and it was so fun. I absolutely love corn bins. I love to jump in them,” Boone reports. “These corn bins were connected together by tubes that kids can go in. They were like tunnels. Sorry adults — you are too tall.”
Keep in mind: Heap’s offers plenty of after-dark activities too — a haunted corn maze, maze by flashlight, and moonlight hayrides — on weekends in October.
Highlights: Since we visited on a weekday — a day off from school for Boone — the concession stand and hayride to the pumpkin patch were not available. But we still could have explored the farm for hours longer. There’s an interactive corn maze with a downloadable trivia game, a soybean maze and flower fields ripe for picking a bouquet. Plus, chickens and turkeys roamed the fields — that’s something Boone doesn’t see at home.
Advertisement
Address: 7150 18th St., Kenosha (map)
Website: jerrysmithfarm.com
When: 4-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (paid activity area) through Oct. 30; store is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through December.
Cost to pick pumpkins: Price varies by size. No fee for pre-picked pumpkin and hand-painted pumpkin display areas. Admission to paid activity area — $6 per person (ages 3 and older) Monday-Friday and $11 Saturday-Sunday — includes petting zoo, corn maze, hayride and a variety of activities. Haunted forest, pony and camel rides and animal encounters are an additional fee.
What to expect: Jerry Smith Farm offers two different yet complementary experiences for families. For those who’d rather not pay to get into the activity area, meandering around hand-painted pumpkin dioramas is still a fun way to entertain the kiddos. Most feature Disney, Pixar or other animated characters with music from the relevant movie or show. Combine that with a visit to the farm store for New Glarus Brewing Co.’s Spotted Cow and baked goods, then snap a family photo next to the decorated pickup truck piled high with pumpkins, and you’ve had yourself a memorable few hours in Wisconsin.
The paid activity area, however, is a parents’ dream. Picnic tables throughout encourage adults in the family to sit and chat while the children climb aboard tractors, feed goats, run through a hay maze, then try to bounce higher than each other on a jumping pillow.
We met my sister’s family at Jerry Smith Farm and this was our experience. It was easy to keep track of Boone and his cousins, Jase and Noelle Janczak — we just followed the sounds of their laughter and excitement. Every few minutes, one of them wandered over to the table for a sip of an apple cider slushie before bolting toward another activity.
Boone’s favorite area was the one with animals — most of them exotic for a Wisconsin farm.
“We got to go to a little tent with different animals, and it sounded like one goat burped, but it might have been a sheep,” he said. “There was a sleeping skunk and an armadillo. I love armadillos!”
I had to pull him out of that animal tent — he didn’t want to leave.
Keep in mind: This pumpkin farm caters to all ages. I learned that after bumping into my brother-in-law near the entrance. He was waiting in line at the beverage garden to buy a bloody mary — how many pumpkin farms have you ever been to that let adults get a little boozy? This was a first for me. There’s also a coffee truck and discounted admission Wednesday nights for college students.
Highlights: Don’t miss The Wizard of Oz diorama. It takes you on a yellow-brick road of sorts and through a tunnel — that spins.
Advertisement
Address: 4S041 Merrill Road, Sugar Grove (map)
Website: sugargrovepumpkinfarm.com
When: Noon-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through Oct. 30. Closed Oct. 10, when Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day are celebrated.
Cost to pick pumpkins: $1-$12, depending on size. Pre-picked pumpkins available only. No admission fee.
What to expect: Could Sugar Grove Pumpkin Farm look as beautiful in person as it does on its website? That’s why Boone and I visited.
We discovered the family-owned farm with 20 acres of pumpkins is not just enchanting — it just might be the most perfect little patch in the Chicago area for families with young children.
The site is compact. It has no rides, attractions, petting zoo or concessions. It offers a few backyard games, toddler-size toys and pumpkins, which are lined up neatly on the grass or inside the rustically gorgeous barn with handmade signs showing their prices.
These are just a few of the vignettes assembled by Mikaya Huggins, general manager, which seem to have jumped off a vision board and into real life. I was enchanted by the mix of antiques, mums, squash and pumpkins she assembled and, after chatting with her, discovered she has a design background.
While I visually gobbled up these gorgeous displays, Boone found a golf corn hole game made by Huggins’ husband. We lost track of each other and that’s why, despite his fear of it, Boone wandered into the small corn maze alone.
D’oh. No “Mom of the year” award for me. Yet we did finish the maze together with no tears.
That’s when I snapped back to reality and remembered we were in Sugar Grove to buy pumpkins — and the prices were reasonable. We snagged an extra-large heirloom one for $14.
Keep in mind: Though Sugar Grove Pumpkin Farm is perfect for families, it does not have a restroom. So make sure you use one before your visit.
Highlights: Simplicity is what makes this mom-and-pop place so special. Go for the pumpkins this year and you’ll make it a family activity for years to come.
Advertisement
Address: 37W446 Fabyan Parkway, Geneva (map)
Website: windyacresfarmstand.com
When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (Fall Fest); farm stand open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. through Oct. 31.
Cost to pick pumpkins: Price varies by size. Pre-picked pumpkins available only. Admission to attraction area — $16 per person (ages 3 and older) Monday-Friday and $19 per person Saturday-Sunday — includes corn maze, nine-hole miniature golf, petting zoo and a variety of activities.
What to expect: A nine-hole miniature golf course was the last thing I thought I would find at a pumpkin farm, but it brought the biggest smile to Boone’s face. Golf is one of his favorite sports.
We picked up putters and he gave me pointers on how to play each hole. His impression of the course: “Every hole had something in common — they are all tricky.”
If you don’t mind some friendly competition between siblings, then other games to try are grain bin basketball, side-by-side zip lines, football toss, a bounce house obstacle course with a haunted house theme, giant chess and pumpkin checkers.
Keep in mind: We visited Windy Acres Farm on a weekday and missed the many events that take place on weekends only, including a magic show, dairy cow exhibit, pony rides, face painting and live music. Check out a schedule here.
Highlights: Visit the farm stand to grab veggies, mums, eggs, cheese, meat, local honey and a snack for the ride home. Heads up — it also sells toys so it could be hard to leave without your child begging for one.
Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
